K-pop (Korean-pop music) has been a popular choice in entertainment for years. It isn’t just loved for its music, but its music videos and choreography as well. Recently, new 4th generation K-pop groups have emerged. 

4th generation K-pop groups are different from 3rd gen K-pop because they are more social media-focused and just have a different feel altogether. 4th gen K-pop started around 2017, but really gained its popularity in 2021. It is still considered relatively new, but there are already some extremely well known groups such as ITZY, Aespa, TXT, Everglow, etc. There are also many new groups rumored to come out, such as BAEMON from K-pop corporation YG, HYBE’s multiple new groups, and many others. 

Some students at Glasgow were interviewed, and some of them talked about the importance of concepts in K-pop. One of the students, Kimberly Cruz-Cruz, thought that the 4th gen K-pop groups were going more in the direction of a “Girl Crush” concept, with more confident idols and a fiercer vibe, while some of the 3rd gen groups had more of a “Cute” concept with calmer people and softer looks. Some students said K-pop was important to them because of the happiness it gave them and the connection it created with others. Another student said that so far, 3rd gen K-pop is better than 4th gen, but they and many other students hope that it doesn’t stay that way. 

These are some ways 4th gen K-pop is changing K-pop culture, let’s see how it goes!